FLORENCE, Ky. — Talk about a rude wake-up call. A woman was rescued from inside a garbage truck around 7 a.m. Friday after she had curled up in a northern Kentucky dumpster to stay dry and warm overnight.
"I got out to open up the gates and there’s a Mexican woman in my hopper," the garbage man told a 911 dispatcher. "She said she’s hurt … I mean it’s hard to understand her, but she said she was sleeping in the dumpster because she was cold."
The truck driver said he was early on his route and hadn't collected much trash yet, meaning he hadn't needed to use the compactor -- luckily for the woman.
Even luckier, the driver had to emerge from his truck to open a gate to access his next dumpster. That's when he heard the woman pounding on the side of the truck and yelling for help.
Rumpke, the operator of the truck, took that woman back to its facility so they could dump the truck and find her purse. Rumpke Regional Safety Manager Bill Cole offered a reminder that dumpsters serve one purpose only: throwing out garbage.
"Fortunately, the woman sustained only minor injuries," Cole said. "This serves as an important reminder that people should not be in or around dumpsters. We appreciate the quick response and assistance from the Florence police and fire departments this morning."
